Frederick Forsyth, the British author popularly known for the best-selling novel ‘The Day Of The Jackal’, has died.
Jonathan Lloyd, Forsyth’s agent, announced this in a statement on Monday.
Forsyth died at the age of 86.
Lloyd described Forsyth as one of the “world’s greatest thriller writers”.
“We mourn the passing of one of the world’s greatest thriller writers,” Lloyd said.
Forsyth authored over 25 literary works, including ‘The Odessa File’ and ‘The Dogs of War’.
His other works include ‘The Devil’s Alternative’, ‘The Fist of God’, ‘Icon’, ‘The Veteran’, ‘Avenger’, ‘The Afghan’, ‘The Cobra’, and ‘The Kill List’.
He sold 75 million books around the world.
In his tribute, Bill Scott-Kerr, the publisher, said Forsyth’s works attained global recognition, leaving behind a “legacy that will continue to excite and entertain for years to come”
“Still read by millions across the world, Freddie’s thrillers define the genre and are still the benchmark to which contemporary writers aspire. He leaves behind a peerless legacy which will continue to excite and entertain for years to come,” he said.
Forsyth began his career as an RAF pilot before becoming a war correspondent for the BBC and Reuters.
In 2015, the author revealed he also worked for the British intelligence agency MI6 for over two decades.
Many of his fictional plots drew on his real-life experiences around the world.
He made his name with ‘The Day Of The Jackal’, his first novel, which he wrote in 1971 while unemployed.
“[I was] skint, in debt, no flat, no car, no nothing, and I just thought, ‘How do I get myself out of this hole?’ And I came up with probably the zaniest solution – write a novel,” he had said.
‘The Day of the Jackal’ is a compelling narrative set in 1963, focusing on an English assassin’s mission to kill the French President Charles de Gaulle.
The novel was remade into a television series last November, starring Eddie Redmayne and Lashana Lynch.
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